Flasher fled after being belittled by woman

A flasher fled back to his car after a woman told him "that's a poor excuse for a willy". Andreas Murgelas allegedly exposed himself to two different women in the space of three weeks at footpaths or woodland near Bideford, Devon. The first woman brushed him off with a put-down but noted part of the number plate of his BMW as he left. The second told him to grow up and get back in his car. Murgelas says he was the victim of mistaken identity in the first incident and was relieving himself and trying to cope with a fungal infection on the second. He was identified because a dog walker who was with the first alleged victim recognised the white BMW parked outside his house and noted down the full number plate.

Murgelas, 23, of Westward Ho!, denies two offences of exposure and one of common assault in the trial at Exeter Crown Court. Edward Hetherington, for the prosecution, said the first incident took place on a path in Westward Ho! on January 20, 2015, and the second at Northam on February 9, 2015. He said the first occurred as two friends returned to Westward Ho! from a two hour walk on the coastal path at around 12.30pm and they had just split up. One woman was walking through a path when she encountered Murgelas near a dog mess bin. He said: "She realised he had opened the fly zip of his trousers and was exposing himself to her. She saw his genitals and is clear about what she saw.



"She said 'that's a poor excuse for a willy'. He said something like 'would you like some of this'." The woman turned round and rejoined her friend and took a partial number plate. The friend then noted the full number after finding the car in a nearby street. Mr Hetherington said another woman was walking her dog near Northam when she saw a white BMW parked up and a man on the path. He said: "He grabbed her wrist as if to pull her round. She pulled her arm away and saw he was holding down the front of his trousers and she could clearly see his genitals. "She made a comment urging him to grow up and get back in his car. He drove off and she dialed 999 and called the police."

Murgelas initially denied being at either scene but later told police there must have been another man in a white BMW at the first. He said he had gone into woodland to relieve himself while on the way home from a medical appointment to treat a fungal infection in his groin which caused him severe itching. Murgelas said he had been interrupted by the woman and brushed her hand away as she pointed at him. The first woman told the jury she had made a positive identification of Murgelas at a police video identity parade and was sure he was the man she saw on the path wearing a black jacket and black chinos. She said: "When I saw him he exposed himself and said 'do you want some of this?'. I said 'For goodness sake, I know it is a cold day, but that is just a poor excuse for a willy'. Once I said that, he did not say anything else. I started to walk away. He turned and walked back towards the car."